Bhi H60 Helicopters Llc UH-60A accident near Leesburg, FL
On May 25, 2021, a Bhi H60 Helicopters Llc UH-60A (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Leesburg, FL. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 25, 2021
- Place
- Leesburg, FL
- Aircraft
- Bhi H60 Helicopters Llc UH-60A · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 28.818°N, 81.809°W
- NTSB ID
- 20210526103146
Official records · ERA21FA233
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
Aviation Investigation Final Report Location: Leesburg, Florida Accident Number: ERA21FA233 Date & Time: May 25, 2021 17:47 Local Registration: N9FH Aircraft: Bhi H60 Helicopters Llc Uh-60A Aircraft Damage: Destroyed Defining Event Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) Injuries: 4 Fatal Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Flight test Analysis According to the operator, a new water tank and snorkel were installed on the helicopter to facilitate firefighting operations. Several days of ground testing and calibration were performed before the accident flight, which was the first flight after the water tank was installed. The purpose of the local flight was to check the operation of the fire tank system. The helicopter made six uneventful passes in front of the operator’s hangar at the airport and dropped water that was picked up from a lake adjacent to the airport. During each of these passes, the snorkel was observed to be stable. However, during the seventh pass, the snorkel was swinging from the helicopter. The helicopter then began to hover, released the water from the fire tank, and transitioned to forward flight, gaining altitude and airspeed. The snorkel continued to make large and slightly erratic oscillations as the helicopter climbed. Afterward, witnesses heard a loud bang, pieces of the main rotor blade and tail section separated, and the helicopter descended vertically to the ground. A postimpact fire ensued. Given the sudden change in behavior of the snorkel from a consistently stable condition in normal flight to one with large and erratic oscillatio
Probable cause
The failure of the water tank snorkel support structure, which allowed the snorkel to contact the main rotor blades. Contributing to the accident was insufficient Federal Aviation Administration oversight of the supplemental type certificate process for the water tank and snorkel.
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Browse: Florida
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
